Climate and average weather in Kunming
In Kunming, the summers are warm, wet, and partly cloudy and the winters are cool, snowy, and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Kunming typically varies from 5°C to 24°C, and is rarely below 2°C or above 29°C. May is the hottest month of the year, while December is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Kunming for warm-weather activities are from early February to late May and early November to late November.
- Hottest
- May
- 24°
- Coldest
- Dec
- 5°
- Wettest
- Jun
- 278 mm
- Driest
- Dec
- 24 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1439 mm
- 165 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.4–13.6 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 1,895 m
- 25.0°N
- Clearest
- Feb
- 36% cloud
Kunming is capital of Yunnan province, China.
- Air quality
- High
- PM2.5 29.9 µg/m³ · 2018
- Density
- 183/km²
- people per km²
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Kunming weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early February to late May.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Kunming, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 5.9 months, from March 28 to September 21, with daily high temperatures above 22°C. The hottest month of the year in Kunming is May, with an average high of 24°C and low of 16°C.
The cool season lasts 2.3 months, from November 28 to February 5, with daily high temperatures below 16°C. The coldest month of the year in Kunming is December, with an average low of 5°C and high of 15°C.
Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 11°C) in March.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 15 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 15 |
| Avg low (°C) | 5 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | 5 |
| Feb | 17 | 6 |
| Mar | 21 | 10 |
| Apr | 24 | 13 |
| May | 24 | 16 |
| Jun | 24 | 17 |
| Jul | 24 | 18 |
| Aug | 24 | 17 |
| Sep | 22 | 16 |
| Oct | 20 | 13 |
| Nov | 17 | 8 |
| Dec | 15 | 5 |
Average hourly temperature in Kunming
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on May afternoons, near 24°C, and coldest before dawn in December, near 5°C.
Kunming weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15° / 5° | 35 | 5.4 | 1 | 10.6 | 5.1 |
| Feb | 17° / 6° | 30 | 5.3 | 0.5 | 11.1 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 21° / 10° | 42 | 6.7 | 0.3 | 11.8 | 7.3 |
| Apr | 24° / 13° | 69 | 9.4 | 0 | 12.6 | 7.2 |
| May | 24° / 16° | 139 | 15.1 | 0 | 13.2 | 6.2 |
| Jun | 24° / 17° | 278 | 23.8 | 0 | 13.5 | 4.4 |
| Jul | 24° / 18° | 274 | 26.6 | 0 | 13.4 | 4.1 |
| Aug | 24° / 17° | 238 | 24.9 | 0 | 12.9 | 4.4 |
| Sep | 22° / 16° | 165 | 20.3 | 0 | 12.2 | 4.8 |
| Oct | 20° / 13° | 113 | 16.2 | 0 | 11.4 | 5.4 |
| Nov | 17° / 8° | 34 | 6.3 | 0.1 | 10.8 | 6.2 |
| Dec | 15° / 5° | 24 | 4.5 | 0.7 | 10.5 | 5.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Kunming gets about 1439 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.3 months, from around May 15 to Oct 22, peaking in July at about 87% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Dec 23.
June is the wettest month by volume, with 278 mm over about 24 wet days; December is the driest, with 24 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 17 | 18 | 22 | 31 | 49 | 79 | 86 | 80 | 68 | 51 | 22 | 15 |
| Rain days | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 6 | 5 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | 5 |
| Feb | 18 | 5 |
| Mar | 22 | 7 |
| Apr | 31 | 9 |
| May | 49 | 15 |
| Jun | 79 | 24 |
| Jul | 86 | 27 |
| Aug | 80 | 25 |
| Sep | 68 | 20 |
| Oct | 51 | 16 |
| Nov | 22 | 6 |
| Dec | 15 | 5 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Kunming collects about 1439 mm of rain across 165 wet days — roughly 120 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 278 mm, while December is the driest at just 24 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 55% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 35 | 30 | 42 | 69 | 139 | 278 | 274 | 238 | 165 | 113 | 34 | 24 |
| Rain days | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 6 | 5 |
| Snow days | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 5 | 1 |
| Feb | 30 | 5 | 1 |
| Mar | 42 | 7 | 0 |
| Apr | 69 | 9 | 0 |
| May | 139 | 15 | 0 |
| Jun | 278 | 24 | 0 |
| Jul | 274 | 27 | 0 |
| Aug | 238 | 25 | 0 |
| Sep | 165 | 20 | 0 |
| Oct | 113 | 16 | 0 |
| Nov | 34 | 6 | 0 |
| Dec | 24 | 5 | 1 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Kunming, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around October 28 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around May 17. The clearest month is March, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 77% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around May 18 and lasts for 5.4 months, ending around October 27. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 91% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 70 | 76 | 77 | 69 | 48 | 13 | 9 | 18 | 24 | 40 | 58 | 63 |
| Cloudier (%) | 30 | 24 | 23 | 31 | 52 | 87 | 91 | 82 | 76 | 60 | 42 | 37 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 30 |
| Feb | 76 | 24 |
| Mar | 77 | 23 |
| Apr | 69 | 31 |
| May | 48 | 52 |
| Jun | 13 | 87 |
| Jul | 9 | 91 |
| Aug | 18 | 82 |
| Sep | 24 | 76 |
| Oct | 40 | 60 |
| Nov | 58 | 42 |
| Dec | 63 | 37 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 17, brings about 13 h 36 min of light; the shortest, around December 17, only 10 h 24 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 12 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.6 | 11.1 | 11.8 | 12.6 | 13.2 | 13.5 | 13.4 | 12.9 | 12.2 | 11.4 | 10.8 | 10.5 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 8:00 | 7:50 | 7:24 | 6:52 | 6:29 | 6:23 | 6:32 | 6:47 | 6:59 | 7:12 | 7:32 | 7:52 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:36 | 6:58 | 7:13 | 7:27 | 7:42 | 7:56 | 7:57 | 7:40 | 7:08 | 6:36 | 6:17 | 6:19 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.6 | 8:00 | 6:36 |
| Feb | 11.1 | 7:50 | 6:58 |
| Mar | 11.8 | 7:24 | 7:13 |
| Apr | 12.6 | 6:52 | 7:27 |
| May | 13.2 | 6:29 | 7:42 |
| Jun | 13.5 | 6:23 | 7:56 |
| Jul | 13.4 | 6:32 | 7:57 |
| Aug | 12.9 | 6:47 | 7:40 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 6:59 | 7:08 |
| Oct | 11.4 | 7:12 | 6:36 |
| Nov | 10.8 | 7:32 | 6:17 |
| Dec | 10.5 | 7:52 | 6:19 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Kunming averages about 9 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 1 and 19 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.3 months, from around Nov 4 to May 15. The sunniest month is March, with roughly 17 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is July, down near 1 sunny days — about 95% fewer than the March peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 16 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 14 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Bright |
| Feb | 17 | Bright |
| Mar | 18 | Bright |
| Apr | 14 | Mixed |
| May | 9 | Mixed |
| Jun | 2 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 1 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 2 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 3 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 5 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 11 | Mixed |
| Dec | 14 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Kunming, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 4.0 months, from around May 27 to September 26. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 86% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 27 to May 26, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 58 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 55 | 97 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 26 | 12 | 25 | 44 | 40 | 3 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 67 | 85 | 71 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 98 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 58 | 32 | 10 | 0 |
| Jun | 7 | 26 | 67 | 1 |
| Jul | 1 | 12 | 85 | 1 |
| Aug | 3 | 25 | 71 | 0 |
| Sep | 18 | 44 | 38 | 0 |
| Oct | 55 | 40 | 5 | 0 |
| Nov | 97 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Kunming is typically calm, near 11 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.8 months, from around Dec 31 to May 25. The windiest month is March, averaging about 15 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around May 26 to Dec 30, with August the calmest month at about 7 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Feels | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | calm |
| Feb | 14 | light breeze |
| Mar | 15 | light breeze |
| Apr | 14 | light breeze |
| May | 12 | calm |
| Jun | 9 | calm |
| Jul | 8 | calm |
| Aug | 7 | calm |
| Sep | 8 | calm |
| Oct | 9 | calm |
| Nov | 10 | calm |
| Dec | 10 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Kunming
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Kunming sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Kunming's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Kunming
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kunming throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid May, Kunming is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Kunming for general outdoor tourist activities run from early February to late May and again from early November to late November, with a peak score in the second week of March.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 5.1 | 6.5 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 5.1 |
| Rating | fair | good | good | good | good | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | good | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.1 | fair |
| Feb | 6.5 | good |
| Mar | 7.3 | good |
| Apr | 7.2 | good |
| May | 6.2 | good |
| Jun | 4.5 | fair |
| Jul | 4.1 | fair |
| Aug | 4.4 | fair |
| Sep | 4.8 | fair |
| Oct | 5.4 | fair |
| Nov | 6.1 | good |
| Dec | 5.1 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Kunming for hot-weather activities is from late March to late May, with a peak score in the third week of April.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Kunming, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around May (highs near 24°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around December (highs near 15°C), pack a warm layer.
In May, Kunming sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Kunming by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kunming peaks around July 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 6 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 6 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| Level | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | High |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Average hourly UV index in Kunming
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 1.5 | 4 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 6 | 5.5 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.5 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 6.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 8 | 5.5 |
| May | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 9 | 7 |
| Aug | 8.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 6.5 | 4 |
| Nov | 6 | 3 |
| Dec | 5 | 0 |
Air quality in Kunming by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Kunming is worst in March — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kunming's WHO annual average of 29.9 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 29 | 30 | 35 | 34 | 28 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 30 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | Moderate |
| Feb | 30 | Moderate |
| Mar | 35 | Moderate |
| Apr | 34 | Moderate |
| May | 28 | Moderate |
| Jun | 24 | Moderate |
| Jul | 26 | Moderate |
| Aug | 29 | Moderate |
| Sep | 31 | Moderate |
| Oct | 31 | Moderate |
| Nov | 32 | Moderate |
| Dec | 30 | Moderate |
Growing season
Kunming is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 99 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 99 | 0 |
| Feb | 99 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 99 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Kunming banks about 2,295 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 51 | 163 | 247 | 306 | 320 | 332 | 323 | 266 | 195 | 86 | 7 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 51 |
| Mar | 163 |
| Apr | 247 |
| May | 306 |
| Jun | 320 |
| Jul | 332 |
| Aug | 323 |
| Sep | 266 |
| Oct | 195 |
| Nov | 86 |
| Dec | 7 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Kunming receives about 4.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.1 and 6.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.7 months, from around Feb 12 to Sep 3. The brightest month is April, averaging about 6.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 3.2 kWh/m² — roughly 49% less than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 3.7 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| Level | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.7 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4.7 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.7 | Bright |
| Apr | 6.2 | Intense |
| May | 5.7 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.0 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.7 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.9 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.2 | Bright |
| Oct | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3.1 | Moderate |
Where is Kunming?
Kunming sits at 25.0°N, 102.7°E, 1,895 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Dali, 259 km away.
What Kunming looks like
Topography around Kunming
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kunming.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Kunming has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 1,899 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 665 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,814 m.
The land around Kunming is covered by artificial surfaces (88%) within 3 km, trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.
China travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / I
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 47% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $13,862
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.1 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Homicide rate
- 0.5
- per 100k, 2020
- Road deaths
- 17.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 464
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Kunming (25.0389°, 102.7183°, elevation 1,895 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).